祝日の物語
by Kensei Kiryoku
Summary: A collection of subsequent holiday one-shots. Coming of Age: “What did you say?” She found herself calling back, but her voice was lost in the wind…and soon, she had lost sight of him... Kurama x Botan, Yusuke x Keiko, Kuwabara x Yukina, Hiei x Mukuro
1. 正月の物語

A/N: I was supposed to have this up on New Years Eve, lazy me. -.- Anyways, this is the first installment of my 'Holiday' (祝日) series. These will all be Japanese Holidays, including Valentines Day and Christmas. XD

Title: 正月 (Shogatsu)

Pairings: Kurama x Botan, Yusuke x Keiko, Kazuma x Yukina, Hiei x Mukuro

* * *

It was getting very late, and yet no one was even beginning to think about falling asleep. As new digital clock neatly read 22:31, (10:31 pm) Botan felt around for a nice couple of cups for the green tea, as the commercials ended and Kohaku Uta Gassen came back on.

"Botan-chan~!" Keiko called from the other room, her voice entering the small kitchen "The show's back on, and the next song has already begun!"

"Coming~!" Botan half-sang back as she finally spied a couple of decent mugs near the sink. Pushing aside the toshikoshi soba bowls, Botan carefully grabbed the fragile tea cups; yelping when she noticed how hot they still were; before perceiving a cleverly placed tray and a cunningly hidden (in plain sight, that is) pair of mittens…

"Tea, anyone~?" She all but sang only a few minutes later, holding a tray with six steaming tea-cups. The lovely tune served as background noise as Botan cheerily; as well as voluntarily; served the tea.

Taking her place on the small cushion beside the tranquil and rather silent Kurama and the jovial, yet somewhat contained Keiko, Botan made sure to blow gently on her burning tea before attempting to take a sip. Rather pleased when the tea did not scorch her tongue, the deity leaned back (but keeping her lower body under the kotatsu) to have a better view of the TV as the song finished brilliantly.

"That was so beautiful," Yukina commented from Kazuma's side, holding her ice-cold tea in a pale hand. She gasped in surprise as a calloused- yet gentle- hand pushed some of her mint-green hair out of her ruby-red eyes.

"Not near as beautiful as you are, Yukina." Kazuma crooned lovingly, his eyes captivating hers as his rough yet kind fingers wrapped themselves around her hand. The gorgeous ice maiden blushed lightly, before smiling and thanking him for the compliment.

Botan giggled lightly after watching the interaction. Kuwabara-kun could be so predictable, and she noticed she wasn't the only one that thought so. Yusuke sniggered, only to be whacked by Keiko for being insensitive, and Kurama merely turned his head- letting Yukina and Kuwabara have some privacy.

Another song crooned onto the TV, and the deity predicted that it wouldn't be the last, as it was just finally 23:01. Glancing over her shoulder in surprise (and somewhat expectant) as she felt a familiar energy wash over her, bewildered amethyst met bemused emerald.

"Oh, Kurama-kun," Botan chirped with a relieved smile "You almost scared me for a second there." She turned her body towards him, looking shockingly stunning in an azure yukata accompanied by a brilliant orange obi. Her delicate hand had fisted itself above her heart, but now, at ease with her current company, she rested her petite limb on her lap.

"Did I?"

"Well," She sheepishly began, "I thought it was Yusuke sneaking up on me to scare me again…" She admitted, embarrassed at not being able to sense that it had only been Kurama. "You know, like when I first arrived here and he thought it would be funny to sneak up on me…"

"But it was funny." Kurama admitted with a smile; rather dashing in his jade kimono; a small chuckle escaping him. He moved slightly, covering up his mouth in a sad attempt to disguise his laughter. "You should've seen your face…."

"Traitor." Botan pouted, folding her arms and leaning slightly towards the kotatsu. She glanced at the fox spirit's entertained face as he regained control of his emotions and an amused smile (at her expense of course) emerged.

"Anyway, Yusuke is much too busy keeping Keiko-san entertained." Kurama said, jerking his head towards the pair as they sat next to each other, waiting for the commercials to end. "He shouldn't bother you much more tonight."

"Well, that's a relief." The lavender eyed maiden answered in relief. There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as they watched the remainder of the commercials before Kohaku Uta Gassen returned. "Uh, so, Kurama-kun," She began rather nervously, her dainty hands playing with the tie on her kimono, "How's college?"

"Ah, its okay." He replied with a little grin, "My roommate is an old friend and we can get along rather well. The classes aren't too long, and the professors are kind enough…" He broke off for a second looking a little tired, "…the coursework is murderous though. Apparently criminal investigation is a rather difficult field to get into."

"Why criminal investigation, may I ask?" Botan asked curiously, overhearing Yusuke and Keiko loudly making bets on which team would win the Kohaku Uta Gassen this year and noticing

Kuwabara and Yukina quietly talking while gently holding each other. "I thought you'd go into a more, I dunno…."

"…a more biological career?" Kurama responded gently, his eyes mild. At her verification, he continued. "I needed something different…and since I have experience on both sides of the law," He said with a slight smirk and laughter in his eyes, "I decided criminal investigation would be a way to go."

"Oh, I get it-"

"Yo~ Everyone!" Yusuke suddenly yelled, drawing everyone's attention. He grinned widely as a new song started playing, holding a bottle of sake above his head and loudly finished his statement. "I got warm sake~!"

Her time with Kurama rudely interrupted, Botan couldn't resist as she was dragged back into the Bonekai festivities. They drank some otoso, ate another bowl of the toshikoshi soba, and grabbed some snacks before finally settling down and telling every one of their achievements in the past year.

Keiko had just finally earned her bachelors degree in college just two months ago and had plans to become a kindergarten teacher. The graduate then told them a funny story about Yusuke and his ramen stand- much to Yusuke's displeasure- that involved a bowl of steaming ramen, Yusuke himself, and a banana peel. She then informed them with pride that she and Yusuke planned to get married sometime in the late spring.

After all the congratulations, it was Yusuke's turn. He told them that business was thriving; he had got an offer to change from a ramen stand to a full-blown restaurant just three months ago; and that the cash was beginning to flow rather nicely. As to counter Keiko's story about him, Yusuke them told them a tale about Keiko and a small boy they had met outside his ramen stand. The tale concerned Keiko, a small naïve child, and her womanly parts- the top ones, that is.

His humor got him hit by a very embarrassed Keiko.

Yukina then took the stand, telling the about her year with Kuwabara. How his family was so kind to her and didn't treat her any different. She proceeded to tell them about her newly gained human skills; she was very proud of being able to use chopsticks and a calligraphy brush; and how Kazuma-kun taught her how to ice-skate.

After that it was Kuwabara. The spirit sword wielder wasted no time informing them that he would be receiving his bachelor's degree in May and he would finally be able to work full-time in his drafting and technology career. Kuwabara also told them about his new apartment he was finally able to afford and how he and Yukina would be moving into it after the holidays.

The focus turned to Kurama, the fox-spirit talked about his college life; Kuwabara then asked if he had got a girlfriend, but was disappointed to find out Kurama hadn't; his classes and part time job at the Botanical Research center as an assistant. Yusuke then commented that he thought Kurama was majoring in Criminal Investigation, only to find out that the fox had two years worth of minors in both Biology and Chemistry.

Finally, everyone's attention was on Botan. She didn't have much to tell, aside from the stories about her getting attacked while ferrying souls from makai, Koenma aging a little bit, and accidentally running Kurama over in the middle of his college campus, then reassuring the others that no one had seen it.

It was now 23:35.

Everyone resumed watching the television for a short amount of time, anxious to see who would win the Kohaku Uta Gassen. When the commercials returned, small chatter broke out among them again. Yusuke and Keiko began arguing who would win; Kuwabara happily started complimenting Yukina on how well she had prepared the toshikoshi soba; and Botan struck up conversation with the poised fox demon.

"I expected you to be spending the New Year with them," Botan said, readjusting her azure robe prior to reaching for her cup of sake. Her delicate hands closed around the small warm mug, and then slowly lifted the lukewarm drink to her lips before taking a small sip from her sake cup.

"No, not this year," Kurama smiled soothingly, his beautiful deep green eyes calming any anxieties that the deity may have had. "Unfortunately, Mother went to visit her relatives in Fukuchiyama, and my step-father and brother accompanied her since they have relatives living nearby." The fox spirit paused momentarily, "I declined to accompany them for several reasons."

"Why?" She found herself asking, then, embarrassed and feeling incredibly rude, the deity covered her mouth. "Sorry, that was rude." She muttered, ashamed that she had been prying.

"Its quite alright." The fox-spirit laughed, glancing over at the television in disinterest as Kohaku Uta Gassen returned, before redirecting his attention back at Botan. "If you would like to know then I shall tell you. Well, the trip mother and my stepfather had planned would be a minimum of two and a half weeks, and my university only lets us out for a week and a half."

Kurama paused to regain his breath, "I'll go see my family after the holiday rush, when I'm not so pressured on time… not to mention I'm also a little bit behind on my work," He added, looking a little sheepish, " so I need to catch up over break….but," He began, pushing his hair out of his eyes, "…most of all, I wanted to-"

"Yes!" Yusuke suddenly cheered, much to everybody's astonishment. The spirit detective punched into the air with a whoop, while Keiko scowled at the TV. "Team White wins- again!" He was apparently talking about the Kohaku Uta Gassen results, and from the way that he was bouncing around like a maniac; for if he jumped any higher he would collide with the ceiling; they could only guess that he had won his bet with Keiko.

"Sorry, Kurama-kun," the deity said, ignoring Yusuke's childish crows of victory and turning back to the red-headed fox spirit. Pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, Botan focused her attention on the delightful male specimen before her. "I didn't hear what you said."

"Ahh, it's nothing." Kurama sighed, a light pink flush on his cheeks; perhaps it was the sake; as he waved it off, rather composed and unconcerned. "Perhaps…" The fox-spirit continued with a strange sparkle in his eye, and a hint of teasing in his normally rather placid tone, "I'll tell you another time." He finished, leaning against the kotatsu comfortably.

"Kurama-kun?" Botan asked curiously, albeit slightly shocked to hear such a teasing tone in the normally collected fox incarnation. Now she was defiantly curious, and it was eating her inside out, she wanted to know why he had decided to stay behind for New Year's now more than ever! Botan glanced at the clock from the corner of her eye as it went from 23:59 to exactly 00:00.

"Happy New Year!"

That's when the festivities really began.

* * *

Hours later, Botan sat on top of the roof of Genkai's temple. This place had become the location for their meetings as the years began to pass. Looking at the still-dark horizon, she continued to mull upon her thoughts as she waited patiently for the sunrise.

"I wonder where Hiei is." Yusuke suddenly asked from Botan's left. Yusuke's left arm was loosely slung over Keiko's shoulder and his right arm rested on his knee as his eyes scanned the dark horizon. "We haven't heard from him for nearly a year now."

There was a short silence at Yusuke's words.

"Actually," Kurama spoke up, turning to look at the spirit detective. "I talked to him about a week ago. I invited him along, but he refused…" The fox incarnate closed his eyes chuckling lightly before continuing, "He mentioned that Mukuro had been acting strangely; like losing her temper over trivial things, severe mood swings; and," Kurama continued, a twinkle of good humor in his dark green eyes, "that her scent had been changing frequently…"

"So, in other words, the bun is in the oven?" Yusuke said almost stupidly, his chin dropping in surprise. Similar sounds of shock were prominent as the spirit detective hit a rather blunt note. At the red-head's hesitant nod, Yusuke laughed. "Never thought Hiei would be a father!"

"We should congratulate him next time we see him!" Yukina said, smiling as she grasped her yukata with her small hands. "And Mukuro-san too!" She continued, bringing her hands to her heart. "It is a big and rewarding step to take, becoming a parent," The ice maiden lowered her eyes for a moment," that is what mother used to say."

"You mean that runt is going to have children!?" Kazuma asked curiously from Keiko's left, as he looked from beside Yukina to the silent fox demon. When all he received was a curt nod, Kuwabara found himself nearly howling with laughter. "That is funny and scary all at the same time! Imagine little Hiei's running around!"

"Kuwabara-kun, that's mean!" Keiko shot at him from Yusuke's side. She turned her face from him with a huff, "I think it is wonderful that Hiei will be a father- even if it is Hiei we are talking about!" Yukina nodded in agreement from Kuwabara's left; her eyes downcast as she continued to mull over her mothers words. At Yukina's response, Kuwabara ceased his teasing and agreed fully with Keiko.

The hour passed by with little to no activity besides some small talk.

"Botan-san," Kurama asked suddenly, turning to face her, "Can I safely assume Koenma-san gave you some vacation time?" The fox spirit's posture relaxed when the ferry girl jolted in bewilderment, before readjusting her pose as to reply.

"Ah- yes, actually." The deity responded, her amethyst eyes bright. "Koenma-sama decided to give me some time off for the next three days." She finished, drawing her knees to her chest, shivering slightly in the cold. Botan found herself tongue-tied. Shaking her head; and pretending not to notice Kurama's look of curiosity; she decided it had to be the otoso from earlier. "I'm just glad he let me have my time off now…"

"As am I."

Botan's eyes widened in astonishment, her heartbeat soaring, a blush crawling onto her cheeks, her breath stolen. _Wha….what? Kurama-kun…did he just… _Botan shook herself out of her thoughts, before collecting herself and facing him once more. The red-head was calm and looked completely serious, like he didn't know he had just made her lose control of herself for a few moments. "Kurama-kun, I…"

"The sun is coming up!" Keiko suddenly announced from behind them.

There were a few minutes of complete silence as the six watched the sun slowly creep over the horizon. Six New Years resolutions made and six new promises intended to be kept, and as the sun finally fully crept out from the horizon; the silence finally ended.

"That was so pretty." Botan smiled, her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin nestled snugly under her chin. She lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder to look at the fox spirit behind her. "Kurama-kun…did you make a wish?" She asked innocently, almost curiously.

"Yes I did." The fox replied, his eyes still far away and a tender smile on his lips. "It was a very important wish…" He blinked, and then suddenly shook his head for a moment; much to the deity's bewilderment; before facing her once more.

"If it was an important wish, I hope that it comes true." Botan smiled, her eyes firmly meeting his, then looking into the dawn. "If my wish were to come true it would make me very happy," she began, unaware of his puzzled expression, her eyes still focused solely in the sky, "So, I hope that for your happiness," she faced him once more, sincere, "that your wish comes true."

The fox incarnate was speechless for a moment. A light amused sigh, a quirk of the lips, and he raised his eyes to hers. "I as well," He began, but at the deity's confused glance, he chuckled lightly before continuing. "I hope for your wish to be granted as well."

A still moment, then, the deity rewarded him with a blinding smile. "Thank you." She murmured a subtle flush creeping up her neck and towards her cheeks. She rested her head on her knees, still facing him.

Kurama's eyes softened once again; now letting himself relax completely; he leaned back on his elbows, a smile etched on his face.

This was going to be a good year.

* * *

Yeah, yeah, I know. Its beyond late and almost Seijin no Hi! ACK! So much to do, so little time! (cries)

* 22:31, Military time used in most countries.

*Fukuchiyama – A city south of Kyoto.

*Shogatsu – means New Year/ The title of the chapter

*Kohaku Uta Gassen – a popular Japanese special played on New Year Eve featuring a music battle between 'Team Red' a group of all female soloists and 'Team White' a group of all male soloists.

*Toshikoshi Soba – special noodles served on New Years Eve to preserve longevity.

*Kotatsu – A heated Japanese table that has a heavy blanket over it so that one may have their lower body heated, meant for traditional clothing. I.e. kimono, yukata.

*Otoso – sweetened rice wine.

*Bonekai Party – lit. 'Year forgetting party' held on New Years Eve.


	2. 成人の日物語

A/N: Yay! The second one is done! Sorry it is so late – Seijin no Hi was Monday 11th…

Next one is Setsubun (February 3rd or 4th)

Title: 成人の日 (Seijin no Hi)

Pairings: Kurama x Botan, Yusuke x Keiko, Kazuma x Yukina, Hiei x Mukuro

* * *

**Specail Thanks To:**

dela490

himebriny

Soldier Of The Past

* * *

Seriously, thank you. You have no idea just how much an +Fave Story, story alert, author alert, or review does for a writer. This chapter is dedicated to you guys. I was running low on inspiration- I go to my inbox and BAM, a reason to keep writing. Thank you, this is what keeps me going when I'm down. :D

* * *

Nights were always so lonely.

During the usually sunny, hot and rather humid days, there were people always doing something, keeping to their duties and responsibilities. Cars overflowed the main roadways; always doing something, going somewhere; and subways were always in session, transporting loads of average, busy people living their repetitive, everyday lives in Tokyo, Japan.

But at the typically cloudy, breezy and rather chilly nights, people ceased their daily activities; finding themselves returning to their beds and their homes; more than ready, almost excited, for their next monotonous day. The vehicles which had once all but flooded the highways returned home or to the nearest parking garage. The subways; still active but almost unnecessary; released only a handful of people every few hours.

However, it wasn't too bad. Downtown Tokyo was alive, bursting with zest and vigor, as some people continued to party. Seemingly having so much fun and without a care in the world, at least for now; when tomorrow came they would have yet another plateful of petty problems and trivial worries.

_Too bad my target is in the suburban areas. _Botan thought, wishfully watching the humans as they went about their fun and exciting nightlife, daring each other with stunts they'd never pull while sober. The deity pulled her gaze from them and swept over the rowdy downtown area and towards the tranquil suburbs- where everyone was sure to be asleep.

Flying above the peaceful city; soaring over several buildings, skyscrapers, and quite a few humble homes; the ferry girl couldn't help but notice the somewhat flamboyant decorations, the now silent and abandoned streets, and vacant fortune telling booths, a testament to the previous hours of the day. It was from the Seijin no Hi; Coming of Age Day; festivities.

Smiling fondly as memories arose; the deity shook herself, and then impatiently scanned the area, with no signs of her next target. _Perhaps I arrived too early. _She contemplated, relaxing slightly on her oar as she continued to hover above the suburban area. Figuring that she had enough time, Botan allowed herself to sink into the nostalgic world of welcome memories…

* * *

"_Botan-chan!"  
_

_The ferry girl looked over her shoulder, stunned when she heard a familiar voice calling her name; she relaxed when she noticed it was only Keiko. Botan breathed a sigh of relief; looking rather stunning in a light brown denim jacket over an orange turtleneck sweater, a pair of chocolate jeans and dark brown leather boots topping the ensemble. "Keiko-chan, what are you doing here?" The deity asked incredulously as her friend came to an abrupt halt beside her._

"_I should be asking you that." Keiko laughed her voice still somewhat raspy from her earlier dash. She straightened her posture, looking sharp in her black leather jacket, with only traces of the pink sweater showing around the neckline. A pair of sharp skinny jeans accompanied by leg warmers that seemed to connect the jeans to the simple sneakers completed her getup perfectly. "I'm assuming that Koenma-san gave you a day off?" The chocolate-eyed girl stated, bending down to swiftly readjust her leg warmers. _

"_Yeah," Botan answered as Keiko straightened up once more and the two began a steady pace down the snow-coated sidewalk. "Koenma-sama said I had been overworking these last few weeks," The deity let out a little sigh, randomly kicking at a pile of snow, "and gave me today off." The deity paused, a frown on her face, before turning to face her friend. "Why aren't you off taking part in the Seijin no Hi activities?"_

_Keiko laughed. "I'm twenty-one, Botan," The girl reminded her with another chuckle. "I already went through all this with Yusuke and the other a year ago." Keiko tugged lightly on her sleeve; Botan's strange quietness unnerved her; before looking up at her usually cheerful friend, concerned. _

"_Oh yeah- silly me!" Botan giggled; much to Keiko's immediate relief; lightly bonking herself on the forehead. "I must confess that I had completely forgotten…" She shook her head and sighed lightly. "I'm sorry, Keiko-chan…"_

"_It's quite all right." The other answered, ignoring the rather rude stares that she and Botan received (probably due to Botan's outlandish hair color) and pressing on. "You don't age quite like we do," Keiko began silently; "I imagine it must be a little difficult keeping track of people's ages…not to mention your job." _

"_The job is exhausting, but, that is all it is." Botan replied apathetically, a change from her usual jovial demeanor. "But aside from that," The ferry girl giggled, although it sounded slightly forced, "It is quite a bit of fun flying up in the air, above everybody!" Her eyes took on a faraway gleam as she recalled some of the images of the world gained form the sky. _

"_It must be beautiful." Keiko responded, a little jealous. At Botan's pleased verification, there was a comfortable silence for a few moments. "Oh, by the way Botan-chan, I'm going to visit Yusuke-" Keiko remembered suddenly, changing the conversation from the awkward silence, "-would you like to accompany me?"_

"_I'm sorry, I must refuse," Botan politely declined, holding her hands up defensively. Spying Keiko opening her mouth to reply out of the corner of her eye, the deity quickly added, "I do not wish to be a third wheel." She admitted, embarrassed at the notion of intruding (even scarier, intruding alone!) on Yusuke and Keiko's private time. Just the thought of such an awkward encounter discomfited her. _

"_But Yukina-chan, Kuwabara-kun, and," Keiko began, a rather mischievous glint in her eyes, "Kurama-kun will be there. You wouldn't be a third wheel at all." Keiko finished rather slyly, looking at Botan through lowered lashes as the deity's face lit up immediately. _

"_Oh, if that's the case," The ferry girl began happily, a new bounce in her step, "Then I guess there is no reason for me to not come along." And with that, Botan happily skipped ahead, knowing full well that the ramen stand was just around the corner. _

* * *

"_Hello everybody~!" Botan chirped as she and Keiko slipped into the humble ramen stand. Yusuke threw up his hands from behind the counter, a large grin on his face. Yukina and Kuwabara looked over their shoulders simultaneously, surprised by her sudden entrance. Kurama, who had been sorting through papers, looked over his shoulder and gave a friendly wave. _

"_So, what'll it be?" Yusuke asked, leaning over the counter with a grin on his face. He threw a menu at them, offering several different kinds of ramen, appetizers and even drinks. "Or you could order today's special for only __500!" The spirit detective added sneakily, a mischievous gleam in his golden-brown eyes._

_With a simple nod from the ferry girl, Keiko turned to Yusuke to make her order. "Two specials please." She ordered, as she began furiously digging through her canvas bag to locate her misplaced coin purse. Watching in amusement for a moment, Yusuke soon turned away and quickly got back to his job._

"_Two daily specials coming right up! The spirit detective said, scribbling down the order on his notepad. "And that'll be __1000." Botan found herself pulled away from the conversation as Yukina-chan glanced over shyly, before opening up conversation._

"_It's been a while, Botan-chan." Yukina shyly said, fisting her delicate, cool hands into the fabric of her pale sapphire yukata. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it back in time for New Years." The ice maiden paused for a moment, as if contemplating what to say. "It was a little quiet without you." She confessed honestly. _

"_I'm sorry." The deity apologized, rubbing the back of her head dejectedly. "I had so much to do this New Year, and not just me, everyone was working overtime!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically as she empathized just how overworked she had been over the holidays. "-And finally, Ayame-chan and Higaneshi-chan decided to go on and finish it up, meaning I got to go home~!"_

"_So, in other words, you were slacking off?" Kuwabara interjected with a laugh, his arms folded and resting against the counter. The ferry girl threw him a startled look; she had not realized that everyone had been listening to her story. To her right, poor Keiko sat back as Kuwabara leaned on the table beside her and Yukina simply glanced around the other two. To her right, Kurama was looking over the top of the papers, an amused smirk playing on his lips. _

_**Gah! Kurama-kun is going to think I'm lazy!**__ Botan thought in horror, almost, rather unnecessarily slapping her hands to the sides of her face, not paying attention to everyone's else's bewildered expressions. "But I did ferry over three hundred souls in one day last Monday, and," She added, a little embarrassed to admit the real reason of her absence on New Year's, "I took over Higaneshi-chan's and Ayame-chan's work over the holidays…"_

"_So that's why the holidays were so quiet." Yusuke muttered out of nowhere, earning a dirty look from the deity. He laughed, not taking any offense, before placing two bowls of steaming ramen in front of the two girls. "Here you go, dig in." He made sure to leave the bill in plain sight. _

_Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, the deity quickly, politely murmured, "Itadakimasu." Hungrily staring at the delectable meal, Botan began to eat. Picking out the pork and pot stickers, before the veggies, the deity ate slowly, more or less due to all the conversation that kept being struck up. _

"_I find it a little odd," Botan said a few minutes later, already half-way finished with her meal. "Even if you did this last year, why aren't you really celebrating it this year?" She asked; stirring her remaining ramen with her chopsticks, hoping she wasn't being too rude as she further inquired, "Seijin no Hi is a national holiday, yes?"  
_

"_Yes," Kuwabara replied as Keiko's mouth was crammed full of noodles (it was just that good) ", as you know, any person to be twenty within the following year- or at least until the next Seijin no Hi- is celebrated on this day." The spirit wielder huffed proudly, wrapping his arm around his gentle girlfriend. _

"_Actually," Botan began inquisitively, after swallowing the remainder of her meal, "I didn't know that." _

"_What?"_

"_You see…" Botan began a little nervously, not used to so many sets of eyes on her, "When I was alive, I never made it to twenty- at least, according to Koenma-sama." She massaged the back of her neck, a little tense, "And souls don't age nearly as quickly as the bodies they inhabit do, I'm actually about three hundred and thirty three years old, and that's disregarding my human age at the time of my death." _

"_This is unacceptable!" Keiko passionately shouted out of the blue, having finally finished her ramen. "We can't allow you to go on without experiencing at least one Seijin no Hi!" Tossing down the one thousand yen, Keiko abruptly grabbed Botan by the arms, wrenching the poor girl clear out of her seat._

"_Keiko-chan?" The deity exclaimed, bewildered as she felt her arms give way to the human woman's surprising strength. _

_Ignoring the stunned; albeit fairly frightened; expressions of her associates, she yelled over her shoulder at them. "Yukina-chan, you're coming too!" The bewildered men watched as Yukina scurried over to Keiko's side as the human continued to drag the bemused Botan. Yukimura turned to the males. "You boys, you'd better be at that restaurant at exactly 18:00, traditional dress!"_

_With that, the human girl proceeded to drag the ferry girl away, accompanied by the patient, and quiet ice maiden. Soon, the girls were far out of sight, leaving just the three men, wondering what the heck had just happened._

_

* * *

_

Botan fought off embarrassment, losing very badly, when Keiko and Yukina dragged her into the restaurant three hours later. Their three male companions were stunned when Keiko, followed by a bright-red Botan (who kept playing with her hands anxiously) Yukina trying in vain to comfort her. All three girls were dressed up in gorgeous, and probably pretty expensive, formal kimono.

"_Ok, I can see that we are all dressed up…" Kuwabara began; clothed in a nice dark blue kimono and an attractive black obi; rubbing the back of his neck, a little perplexed, "But why?"_

"_It wouldn't happen to anything with the fact that Botan-san has never participated in Seijin no Hi, would it?" Kurama more stated than asked, holding a cup of lukewarm green tea in his hands. The fox was seated on the far right end of the table; rather striking in his dark green kimono. _

"_Wow, you guessed right off the bat." Keiko replied, impressed. Arranging her lovely azure kimono adorned with plum-shaded dragons twisting ferociously on the fabric, her plum and cherry dipped obi, which fit rather nicely around her waist, accentuating her figure nicely, she quickly added. "Since Botan-san has never came of age, I say we have her come of age now~!"_

_Most everyone agreed; Yusuke opened his mouth to make a smart-ass comment, but a single glare from Keiko quickly made him close his trap; Botan, however, was too overwhelmed and a little red; not used to such treatment._

"_You guys really don't have to." Botan said, her face flushed as she played with the folds of her orange kimono; random cherry blossom designs scattered all over the fabric; a pink and orange obi keeping everything in place. __**I can't even imagine how expensive to even rent one of these is**__! She bit her lip as she mulled over her current dilemma- if it could be called that._

"_Oh, but we want to." Kuwabara cheered.  
_

"_Yes, Botan-chan, we really want to." Yukina said, looking absolutely lovely in her gorgeous purple kimono adorned with golden cranes, her yellow and plum shaded obi tied neatly around her waist. "So please, let us do this for you." The ice maiden turned her ruby eyes upward, almost begging. "Please?"_

"_Oh…all right." The deity replied, her face crimson. Seating herself in between Kurama and Keiko, the ferry girl fought back a smile. Her friends were the best people in the world; that was her blatant and honest opinion. She allowed herself to relax, and just enjoyed the time she had with her friends before returning to the spirit world._

_They ate and talked for a couple of hours, and then the six of them hit a few of the karaoke bars downtown. They then played some good old fashioned games, such as karuta. Unfortunately, that seemed to be Botan's best game, winning three out of four for each game they played._

_Finally, it had got late. Botan had assured them that they had done more than enough, and she was already beyond grateful for what they had already done. One by one they left Yukina and Kuwabara first, having to get home to study for the exam that was only three days away. Yusuke left soon after, needing to go check on the stand before heading home; Keiko went with him. Only Kurama and Botan remained, Kurama's wrist watch reading 23:45. _

"_It's very late," Botan said, looking over at the fox incarnation as they made their way through the city park, near the cheery trees. "You should probably be getting home… I wouldn't want you to have trouble in any of your classes because of me." She admitted, by now feeling guilty for how long she had kept him up._

"_No, no trouble at all." The fox smiled, waving off her concern, both of them stopping near the trees. "I have no classes tomorrow, so I don't mind." He paused, a corner of his lip twitching and his eyes sparkling in mischief. "Besides, someone needs to see the lady off." Kurama said, sounding to be quite the gentleman._

"_You're too kind." Botan laughed, blushing for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Shaking her head violently; not noticing Kurama's curious glance; she reminded herself firmly__**. I need to get back to the spirit world…**__ the ferry girl thought as she viewed the cherry trees, before rather reluctantly admitting, "Well, I'd better get going."_

"_Wait."_

_The deity felt the breath catch in her chest, a glimmer of hope. She turned to face him, letting out a single breath. "Yes?" She felt her heart rate beginning to accelerate as she met his calm, kind emerald orbs. __**What is wrong with me?**_

"_I'm just curious; did you have a good time?" He asked, watching her intently. _

"_Yes, thank you so much." She replied, smiling happily, promising herself to always treasure those memories. Noticing that the fox was looking at her rather strangely, the ferry girl's curiosity got the better of her and she delayed her departure- if even only a moment longer. "Something wrong?"_

_Kurama blinked, realizing he had been staring. Embarrassed, the fox felt a light flush strike across his cheekbones, if even for only an instant. Chuckling; pushing aside the preceding awkward moment; he shook his head lightly before looking back at the deity. "Oh nothing…" He began; his expression docile and his words seemingly truthful, but his eyes betraying his words._

"_Oh," Botan replied, slightly disappointed. __**At least he stayed to chat with me**__. She thought with a small, private smile, __**Kurama-kun is so kind**__. Noticing it was midnight, the deity reluctantly materialized her oar. "I have to go…" She despondently said as she climbed onto her means of transportation, "see you later…Kurama-kun." And with those words she slowly flew away._

_Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kurama mutter something to himself, his face was hidden from view, so she couldn't even read his expression. "What did you say?" She found herself calling back, but her voice was lost in the wind…and soon, she had lost sight of him._

* * *

That had been this time exactly, last year. This whole area looked familiar too…shaking her head, she noticed her job finally rising, pulsating in the air, not too far from her own location. _I wonder what he said back then…? _She allowed herself to think as the wind blew through her hair, she shook her head. _I may never know._ Botan tried to erase those thoughts so that she may concentrate fully on her job. Letting out a sigh, the deity slowly soared to her target.

Unbeknownst to her, in the same spot that the two had said good-bye last year, a male with magnificent scarlet hair observed her movements in the sky, a small nostalgic, albeit forlorn, smile on his handsome face. He laughed lightly, full well realizing the deja'vu of the situation, before dwelling, if even for a minute, on the past….

"…_I'm just happy I got to see you." The fox spirit finished wistfully, his eyes reflecting his emotions as he watched the ferry girl disappear into the distance, regretful of everything he was so unable to say._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Sorry if it seemed a little…rushed at the end. I needed to get this up before Friday 15, so I could have some time to work my ass off to make the next one really good~!

I noticed I have Keiko kidnap her quite a bit. O.o Keiko's probably not going to be in the next one…and poor Hiei has only been mentioned…

*Seijin no Hi- "Coming of Age" All young people who turn twenty years old in that year are celebrated on Seijin no hi. Twenty is the age considered as the beginning of adulthood. It is also the minimum legal age for voting, drinking, and smoking. Celebrations are held nationwide in every town with most of the people turning 20 participating in formal dresses. Seijin no hi is a national holiday celebrated on the second Monday of January.

*￥500? ￥= Yen = Japanese money. Last I checked, ￥100 = $1.00


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